Other Types of Injury

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Contusion: A bruise or a blunt blow. Different people bruise in different ways. For example, the elderly or young may bruise more easily. Applying a cold compress can help to reduce pain and to reduce blood flow and therefore reduce swelling.

Abrasion: A scrape to the skin. This is a minor injury and you may just need to rinse the area with clean water or saline solution. It's usually only small capillary cuts and skin removed so there may not be a need to cover it as it should stop bleeding quickly.

Laceration: A rough tear to the skin, such as catching your hand on barbed wire. These can be serious and are treated as for serious bleeding.

Incision: A clean cut, such as cutting yourself with a knife. These can be serious and in some cases life-threatening as it will depend on where the cut is and what damage has been done to the body. Treat as for serious bleeding.

Puncture: Where an object goes straight into the skin, such as a stab wound. Again this can be serious as you may not know what damage has been done. Treat as for serious bleeding and if the item is still in the body, leave it there and bandage around it.

Velocity: Where an object goes through the body, such as a gunshot, usually resulting in an entry wound and an exit wound. The exit wound may not be exactly on the other side, as the object may have been deflected inside the body. This is serious and is treated as for serious bleeding. You do not know what damage has been done as the item went through the body so help is needed quickly.

Amputation: When a body part has been removed, such as a finger, wrist, or leg. A very serious condition depending on what has been affected. Sometimes they are only partial amputations. Keep the patient calm and treat for shock and treat for serious bleeding. Tell the EMS what has happened and wrap the severed part in cling film or a plastic bag. Wrap it then in gauze or soft fabric and place in a container of ice. Do not let the severed part touch the ice directly. Mark the container with the time of the accident and give to the EMS team.

De-gloving: When all of the skin has been removed from a body part, such as when a ring gets caught in a machine and gets pulled down to remove all skin from the finger. This can be very serious and distressing for the patient and first aider.